K. S. Jaliwala

K. S. Jaliwala is situated right on 10th Lane in Grant Road East. We are directly opposite the ICICI Bank, which is the easiest way to find us if you’re wandering through the market. Our shop is small and packed with all sorts of metal meshes and jalis. It’s a noisy area with all the traffic and people shouting, but that’s Grant Road for you. We’ve been here for a long time, selling to locals and contractors who need specific types of wire or screens. There isn't much room to move around inside because we have rolls of material stacked up to the ceiling. It’s a bit messy, but we know exactly where everything is kept. Most of our day is spent measuring out lengths of wire and cutting them for customers. We use old tools that still work perfectly fine. We don’t have a big sign or any bright lights. People find us by word of mouth or because they’ve been coming here for decades. It’s a very hands-on job. Your hands get a bit dirty from the metal, but that’s part of it. We just open up in the morning, sweep the front, and start helping whoever walks in. It’s a simple way to make a living and we like being part of this neighborhood. We don't really do anything fancy, just supply what the builders ask for. Sometimes we have a chat with the neighbors over a cup of tea.